CM Siddaramaiah said the Congress will challenge the Sringeri recount outcome (File photo). Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Tuesday accused the BJP of a “criminal conspiracy” to steal votes following a controversial recount in the Sringeri Assembly constituency . He said the Congress will legally challenge the returning officer’s (RO) decision to declare BJP’s D N Jeevaraj the winner. The row erupted Sunday after 255 postal ballots previously polled for Congress’s T D Rajegowda were declared invalid during a court-ordered recount. This shift handed Jeevaraj a 52-vote lead, effectively erasing the 201-vote victory secured by the Congress in the 2023 Assembly elections. Addressing a press conference, Siddaramaiah said he suspected that the postal ballots were tampered with long after the 2023 counting process was completed. He accused the BJP of conspiring with election staff who transported the trunk containing the ballots to tamper with the votes.…